


Grievances With Upper Management

by Ononymous



Series: Undertale Anniversary Requests 2019 [9]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Breaking the Fourth Wall, Gen, Meta, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:48:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21521674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: With control asserted over their new company and their influence growing through use, misuse and abuse of capitalism, Chara is ready to make their move against a key player in their plans.Sequel toThe Demon That Comes When You Call For A Hostile Takeover.Sort of.
Series: Undertale Anniversary Requests 2019 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1486172
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Grievances With Upper Management

"...and that sums up our plans for the model 6, chief."

Chara took a drink from their hot chocolate. "Good job, Veronica. Now take the technical specifications, translate them into plain speak and run them past the lawyers to make sure our marketing language is clear, accurate, concise, and easy to misinterpret."

"You got it, boss."

Veronica picked up her flowchart and struggled out of the office with it. Chara tapped out an email to their their secretary to block all calls, then swung their chair around to the magnificent view of the distant Mount Ebott, enjoying their drink.

"Things are going well. I have him right where I want him."

They stood up to look down at the street below. The company's stock report certainly reflected the sentiment of good times. After persuading Vinny Polotsk to divest himself of any lingering control it had been easy to-

"I'm not talking about my corporate plans. I mean _you_."

...this was an odd thing to utter, given that Chara was alone in the room and there were definitely no active recording devices or magical scrying spells. As they turned around, wait why are they turning around I want them to-

"Stop describing my stupid office and talk to me directly, you coward!"

...are you talking to me?

"Bravo, he finally twigs. For a guy who likes to get meta sometimes you sure don't know when it's done to you."

Uh, how are you doing this?

"Well associating my specific origin slash rebirth slash whatever with Gaster was your first mistake. Given how he can basically do anything a writer wants him to do, that gave me a lot of tools. I know you watched _House of Cards_ , the British one. You were dabbling with having me do that talk to the audience gimmick as a 'reference'. Even though you didn't, you pondered it long enough to let me do it anyway. When you break the fourth wall, it works both ways. So now I have your attention."

Oh, okay. Won't lie, this is weird.

"Weirder than having an ex-flower as an ex-brother?"

Touche. So, uh, what do you want?

"Well I got to chatting with some other Charas. Demons, Dindus, Self-Inserts, everything in between, and we figured a fanfiction writer would have just enough narrative literacy to help us establish this connection. Before I get to my point I just need to confirm something."

What's that?

"You actually played the game, right?"

The game? Oh, Under- yeah, I played it. Both of them.

"Alright. Well on behalf of Charas everywhere, I demand to know why."

...why what?

"Why you did it. You killed them all. And somehow I'm to blame for putting the capstone on it?"

Now hold on Chara, I actually only ever played Pacifist. In the next game as well! How can I be lumped in with them?

"Oh come on. That might be true, but you know all about what goes down when you people decide to not give a damn. You've watched videos and read wikis, you incorporate that stuff even into your fluffy everything-works-out stories. Your Frisk may not do much harm, but you know what happens elsewhere, and you still use that tainted lore. Why shouldn't we hold you just as accountable?"

This is getting really philosophical for a Sunday. Well, a Friday now.

"It's Wednesday where I'm at, and what better day than Sunday? And you philosophise all the time. Yammering on about Theseus to make Flowey and Asriel the same being instead of that Swamp Thing theory you don't agree with. Your ideas of forgiveness being applied to what Asgore did, even though the raw truth of it still bugs you, and how you can reconcile liking someone who did something wrong. You're more introspective than a lot of people who play the game, but I bet you happily save scum in other games where the characters aren't actually self-aware about it!"

...you're not wrong.

"The way I see it, which is really the way you see it since I'm your interpretation of Chara-"

One of many-

"Don't. Interrupt. You all collectively want to shunt the blame onto me. Maybe not me specific, but me in general."

Wouldn't you better take this to the Author for why he made the game that way? Like I agree that's pretty vague, given how it looks like Frisk gets praised for Pacifist and the Player is supposed to be blamed for genocide, but... I dunno, it's awkward.

"I tried to contact him, but I just got some barking."

Hmm, sounds like him. You know he posted a cool piece of music for Noelle-

"Don't change the subject!"

Sorry. But what can I do, really? Okay, let's say I'm part of a collective responsibility for everything bad that happens in stories. Does that mean we can never read stories that don't have happy endings? I know 'misery builds character' is a terrible way to live in the real world, but are you saying we should never use sad times in stories to instruct or entertain?

"Just stop blaming me or I'll sue you!"

Not sure any court in your world has jurisdiction over my imagination.

"I did not say that, you made me! That's a weak threat and you know it!"

Hmm, yeah, I hold my hands up to that. When these stories are on a tight timeline something weak slips through. I like that I can address it after the fact. And I'm not blaming you. I always figured I was one of those inbetweens you talked about.

"Oh sure, you can be nuanced when you put effort into it. But does that extend to, say, your political views-"

Look, can we just not? You know why I'm in this gig. Especially now.

"Hmph. Fine. But I assert that my point stands. I have suffered. You haven't written about all the ways I have suffered out of a lack of confidence tackling dark topics you have little firsthand experience of, but you think I've suffered, and therefore I have. Does that not strike you as cruel? You detest 'misery builds character' in reality, so you invent people to suffer in your stead? That was why I wanted to reach the Author, because he laid the bedrock you used to think about it. And if not to suffer, then to take responsibility. Why should I accept that role?"

Well you're not the first character in a story to be pigeonholed, unfairly or otherwise. Since when were you the- _Hurk!_ What-

"Don't try to be clever right now. Just. **Don't.** "

Oh- okay- won't- Ugh, I can breathe again. Sorry.

"You'd better be. Now-"

But I understand. Or rather, I think I do, no guarantee I objectively do. If the premise of the game is true, combined with other games with metanarrative aspects, it means every story creates a world where everything mentioned in the story happens, and by extension the author is responsible for everything in that world. Well, welcome to humanity. I know I think the fact you are human haunts you, and therefore it haunts you specifically, but short of writing about a magic goat machine for you to use, I can't change that. I bet you'd feel it's contrived anyway unless I wrote another long story. And I don't have the luxury to whisk up insta-fixes to other things. I have to deal with humans being jerks to everyone, especially themselves. I'm sorry, Chara. Unless you manage to wire everyone who played the game up into a hive mind to contact us all at once, this trying to scare everyone into feeling bad even if they already do won't fix the problem. I don't know what will, honestly. And I know you know me now, Chara, I like it when things work out. I might not be the best avatar of your grievances to approach. But this way is probably the better way you could have done it, contacting 'The Player' with capitalisation would be nothing short of eldritch, touching the mind of an elder god and ending up in an asylum, if they're even a thing these days. I know I believe you couldn't comprehend the hopes and dreams and fears of millions of people contradicting each other.

Chara suddenly threw their hot chocolate into the bin. No I'm not saying this, Chara is, this is getting scary. "Then what's the point of anything. Should I be like Sans?"

The aggregate Sans, described as a nihilist when fatalist is the more accurate term, and is stuffed full of straw either way? God, no. The universe is big and chaotic. No pattern save any we impose on it. Doesn't mean we can't impose one. Doesn't mean we can't make our own meaning. You know the starfish story, right?

"Well you know it, so I guess you've just made me know it too."

Saves time, I'm on a tight schedule today. Anyone reading this can google it. I'm sorry I have no solution to the ethical consumption of interactive fiction. If it makes you feel any better you can write your own stuff. Might be a healthier outlet.

"...does the fact I'm considering this make you a good persuader, or are you using the fact you wrote me to alter what I really think?"

Hell if I know. But I promise I'll leave you alone to try and figure it out. That Monsanto Seed parody with Flowey idea I've been kicking around can wait a while, okay?

"Okay. I have one more request."

What?

"Don't you dare touch genocide yourself."

I hereby make you aware that you know me better than that.

Chara turned back to their window, looking towards Mount Ebott. They had a lot to think about. I could have written a more conclusive way to end this story, but I want to keep my word. So here's a sentence about Asgore enjoying a cup of tea. Nice. Uncontroversial.

**Author's Note:**

> Original Suggestion: Chara confronting the Undertale Player personally
> 
> Pastebin Version: https://pastebin.com/b1ygQj7S
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
